Her
by love from elysium
Summary: After the war, Draco realized that he had reached rock bottom. One night someone unexpected showed up at his flat. Because of her, Draco had a meaningful conversation for the first time in a long time. Because of her, Draco would slowly start to recover from the person he had been. Because of her, Draco would fall in love for the first time. And her name was Astoria Greengrass.


**Disclaimer: I siriusly don't own anything HP related, unfortunately.**

**N/A: So, thanks for taking a gamble and coming to read my story! That makes me happier than I can convey.**

**In case you're interested, I've always been intrigued by the idea of Draco making a recovery into a more wholesome person than he was made out to be. I truly never believed that Draco was "evil", only very spoiled and raised under a bad influence. For these reasons, I fantasized Astoria, a girl also from a pureblood family who he had known since he was little through country club-esque events who never really fit in with the culture either, who eventually changes him. They fall in love and it's the first time Draco has ever loved or been loved in his life. This is a oneshot protraying the first spark of this fantasy. So, please enjoy and review!**

**Prompts:**

**Pairing- Draco/Astoria**

**Quote- "The story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye." Jimi Hendrix **

**Dialogue- "I am not overreacting!" **

**Written for the Amazing Writer Competition at HPFC**

**Her**

_"The story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye." _

_-Jimi Hendrix _

"Well, I am sorry to hear that, _mother_. But it doesn't change anything."

"So now you choose to just not associate with this family? Don't want to tarnish your reputation, I assume. I just can't believe this! After everything your father and I have done for you, after everything we sacrificed during the war to keep you safe, this is how you choose to repay us?"

"It's not about reputation. It's never been about reputation. Everything you and him have done has only dug us deeper in the hole you so blindly live in. I've just decided to climb out while I can still see the surface. Goodbye, I will not be having this conversation again."

"There's more to life than getting _drunk_, Draco."

"Perhaps, but I certainly won't find it by coming home." He hung up the phone before she could say anything else.

Draco stood up and sighed. He paced restlessly a few steps before sitting right back down and reaching for his glass. He knocked back the brandy, refilled, and drained it again. Even sitting there as he was, the posture he had assumed after war was evident. Pride had been stomped out of him making him hunch his tall frame. He looked around the room. The flat he'd been renting since a week after the end of the war was in the trashy end of muggle London which his mother certainly didn't approve of. Draco didn't care anymore. She had never been much of a mother and he'd never been much of a son. Why should he bother maintaining the pretences. It had only taken him a couple days to realize he couldn't live at his parents manor anymore. He had been gone by the end of the week.

He smiled cynically to himself as her pictured his mother having to use the muggle telephone in order to talk to him. His flat did not have a fireplace. Draco walked across the living room into the kitchen. Pulling his wand out of his pocket, he flicked it heedlessly at the three quarters empty brandy bottle. He swept his arm across the table, shoving the papers and magazines onto the floor. One of the magazines fell open to a nearly nude still photograph of a busty muggle girl. Clearly the prior renter had not remembered to change their subscription address. The picture of the girl made Draco curious. Not because he was attracted to her but because to opposite was true, something he found sickly disconcerting. The model was pretty he guessed but the picture didn't make him feel anything, no desire or wanting. Truly he sort of seemed to have lost interest in women since leaving Hogwarts. He did not trust in the institution of love, romantic or otherwise. So he did not seek it and never had, not from his parents and not from his only ever girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson. He had never loved her regardless of what he may have said in the heat of the moment against her chest. Perhaps he was looking in the wrong places. Not that he thought about women anymore. Not that he thought about _anything_ much anymore. Except maybe liquor. He hadn't seen Pansy since before the end of the war which was nearly two months ago. She was too trashy to stick around forever. Good for a shag every now and then but that's the extent of it.

Eyes still on the ceiling, he groped blindly again for the bottle of brandy. Several things could be heard crashing to the floor but Draco simply couldn't be bothered to care. His fingers found purchase on the glass cylinder and he brought the mouth of the bottle to his lips.

BANG! BANG!

The sound of a fist pounding on the door startled him. He glared viciously at the door but didn't move from his spot. He tipped the bottle upwards and continued drinking.

BANG! BANG!

"Go home, Blaise. There's no need to be banging on my door at this hour. Knew I was a fool to tell you where I was staying," he slurred.

"It's not Blaise, Malfoy," said a woman's voice.

"Well then who is it?" He demanded, still not getting up.

"It's me." The voice said.

"Sorry but I know quite a few "me's". You'll have to be more precise." He swished his hand through the air dramatically, though no one could see him.

"Draco, open the bloody door." Sheer exasperation was evident in her tone.

"Or what, Astoria? What will you do?"

"Or I'll blast this door out of the frame, that's what. How did you know it was me?"

"I'd recognize that voice anywhere, love. And come in then, if you insist."

A loud bang ripped the door out of it's frame followed by the sound of splintering wood. It landed on the floor stirring up the dust. Revealed in the frame stood a woman with a wet mop of tangled dark hair hanging around her face and a dripping black raincoat.

"It _wasn't_ locked, you know."

"I see the bottle wasn't either."

Draco just rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.

"What have you done this time?" Astoria sighed, shrugging out of her coat.

"I didn't do anything. And what do you mean this time." Draco replied. He took another half-swig out of the bottle. "Mummy called."

"Yeah?"

"Said I had no business poking 'bout the muggle London and I ought to come home by dinner tomorrow."

"I suppose you'll start packing in the morning, then," Astoria smirked, raised eyebrows framing grey eyes.

"I'm not going back to that bitch," he spat.

Astoria snorted a laugh while she took a swig from the stolen bottle and handed it back to him.

"Well it looks like it just you an me tonight, doesn't it?"

"You know, Astoria. I've seen you in a lot of get ups over the years. Mostly, I'll admit ball gowns. But I do think the sopping wet mess suits you best of all."

She made what she deemed the appropriate hand gesture to such a comment. Astoria looked down at the floor at the discarded garbage and magazines. Her eyes caught on the open photo of the naked blond.

"What the fuck is this?" She shoved the magazine under his nose.

"Muggle magazine."

"Why do you have it?"

"I bought it."

"You bought this trash rag? The photos don't even move! How are you supposed to wank off to that?" she said gesturing with the bottle before taking down a generous amount of it.

Draco laughed. "I'm kidding. I didn't buy it. I was on the door stoop yesterday morning."

"Well, I guess that's right. Who needs to wank when they have a northern girlfriend. Let me guess, she doesn't object to doing it in toilet stalls or the woods?"

"Parkinson? I haven't seen her in months."

"Ah, I see. Bigger and better things, then. Take that to mean what you want."

"Honestly, Astoria, you haven't matured an inch since we turned twelve."

"Sex is sex whether you're twelve or twenty." She laid back on the floor spreading her tassells of hair out above her head so that they radiated outwards like a fan.

"Well, what about you? Are you still seeing that halfblood boy?"

"Nah, the bloody bastard was afraid to talk to me never mind _shag_ me after my dad threatened to castrate him. Too bad, too,"She looked down her noise at Draco who was watching intently. "He had big hands." She winked shamelessly and laughed.

"You're a wreck," he said to her, shaking his head but not able to stop himself from smiling a little.

"I like to have fun, is all."

They were silent for a bit. Draco nodded at the nearly empty bottle but Astoria drank it and threw it aside. Draco saw it in her face when the harsh liquid hit her stomach and laughed.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?" she asked swaying into a seat.

"You think too much of me, love, hadn't even considered it."

"I wanted to know."

"Of course you did."

She turned, looking at him with a slightly angered glare. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"You always have to know everything. You always have to be a part of everything, or put in your two knuts to everything!" He flopped his head back against the back of the couch. "You're infuriating."

"I'm sorry but I was under the impression that we were having a_ good time_. My mistake," She stood up an walked away from the couch. Draco thought she was leaving and was surprised to find himself trying to think of a way to make her stay. He was angry at himself for feeling relief when she came back a minute later, an unopened bottle of brandy in each hand.

They sat in silence for only Merlin knows how long.

"She fire-called me, too."

Draco turned to look at Astoria. "Wha-?"

"Your mother. She called me last night."

"Damn that woman to hell."

"She, uhm, she made me an offer," She spoke slowly. "She said that she could get the man who killed my mother in the battle at Hogwarts "taken care of". You know, husband being a deatheater and all, though Daddy's in a cell in Askaban now, isn't he?" She took a drink before continuing. Draco actually thought she seemed a bit uncomfortable. " But I had to help her in return."

"What'd she want from you?"

"She just, sort of, well, wanted me to... keep an eye on you."

Draco was very still for a moment. He took a polite drink and put his glass down on the table. He folded his fingers together and closed his eyes. He no longer suited the messy setting with his eerie calm.

"Well, thanks for coming by, Astoria. It was nice to talk and maybe I'll see you around."

"Oh, come on, Draco. Don't be like that."

"I don't mean to be rude but maybe I wasn't plain enough; please leave."

"You're overreacting!"

"I am not overreacting!" His composure was gone. He stood up now. "You show up here uninvited, drink my booze, and slide in somewhere that you're actually just here to _spy_ on me at my mother's request!"

"Listen!"

"No, _you_ listen! This isn't a game anymore, for me! I really have grown disgusted with myself and it's got to change. You on the other hand are just the same as you've always been-"

"WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME!" Astoria screamed. Draco fell silent. She took a breath. "I wasn't _finished_. I'm not actually here to spy on you, so please don't flatter yourself. I couldn't care less about the Death Eater who killed my mother because I couldn't care less about my mother. She was the biggest bully I ever endured. But clearly you haven't changed all that much seeing as you won't let me get a word in edgewise. You let your temper blow up before you know the whole truth."

He paused. "Well then, if you're not here to escort me back home why are you here at all? It's not like we're best mates. Truly, we barely know each other."

She rolled her eyes and when she spoke Draco could now hear the liquor in her words. "Curiosity, maybe? I wanted to see who you'd become. What your mother suggested to me seemed like such a fresh breed of beast. But in my mind I couldn't picture you as anything other than what you already were. You were the prefect representation of what a snotty pureblood family's offspring who grew up going to the Honour Society's balls and formal gatherings should be. Oh yes, you always fit in well among those witless people," Astoria scoffed, "Gorgeous blond hair, blue eyes, always knew what you were expected to say, how could you not? And then-"

"I'm sorry, but did you just call me_ gorgeous_?" Draco's eyebrows were raised and a sly smile coming back to his face.

Astoria just slitted her eyes at him. "And then..."

"And then there was you. I did notice you, too, at these social events, always looking awkward and out of place in the fancy clothes that didn't suit you. I saw how the frills made you itch and lace did not sit well with you. I could see how your eyes would wonder whenever someone spoke to you about something undoubtedly uninteresting to you. I knew that you had found more somewhere and I envied you for that." He stopped for an instant and met her eyes. A new kind of smile etching across his face. "You look surprised, my love. Did you truly believe that just because you kept your mouth shut you would go unnoticed?"

"Did I stand out for you, Draco?"

"You can answer that on your own. But don't stress because we're drunk and you won't remember any of this in the morning anyway. I do suggest you lay down some where comfortable. Hangover potions don't cure sore necks. And to be honest they don't do much for the hangover either."

"So I can stay, then?" Astoria snickered and leaned towards him. "I don't think you've changed a bit." She brushed his cheek ever so gently making Draco feel something he hadn't felt in a long time. "You're still a prat."

Then she kicked off her boots and tottered over, sprawling across the couch, effectively forcing Draco to get up and find somewhere else to sleep. He went into the bedroom and laid down on top of the blanket with his clothes still on.

In his mind, her lips were still on his cheek when sleep found him.

Fast clumsy footsteps woke Draco up to the usual dull pounding in his head. He heard the bathroom door slam at the end of the hall and promptly a retching sound.

"Bloody hell," he cussed under his breath before heaving himself up and walking quickly to the bathroom.

He wrenched the door open without knocking. Astoria was on the floor hanging over the toilet as she puked. Holding her hair out of her face he crouched down beside her. With his other hand he summoned a glass from the kitchen. Astoria eventually sat back beside him on the cold tiles and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. When her breathing slowed down, Draco put the glass into her two hands but kept his hold on it as well as she put it to her lips. He didn't trust her shaking hands. Astoria gulped the water down eagerly.

"Slowly," Draco murmured.

Suddenly her hands let go of the glass and it would have smashed to the floor if it hadn't been for Draco's grip. She lunged forward and threw up all the water she just drunk. He refilled the glass and sat back down with her.

"Little sips this time, love."

Draco held the glass to her mouth and let her take a small sip before taking it away again. Putting the glass down beside her, he took a facecloth, wet it and lay it carefully across the her sweat-glazed forehead. Making her drink again, she moaned.

"Yes, I know how this feels," he said with a smile. "Only there's never anyone here with me."

When the glass was empty Draco picked Astoria up who curled her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck and carried her into his room as smoothly as he could. He tucked her into his bed.

"It's only twenty after three, love. Go back to sleep. I'll be in the other room."

"I feel awful."

He laughed quietly. "You look awful." But he didn't mean it. Because despite her flushed cheeks, make-up smeared eyes and tangled hair, he wanted her. _Badly_.

He sat on the floor waiting for her to drift off.

"Draco?"

His eyes met hers.

"Thank you."

"I take it you don't get drunk much."

"Honestly, though."

"You're welcome." And he meant it.

Astoria closed her eyes and another silence took place between them.

"And Draco," There was a smile in her voice. " You called me "love" when you weren't drunk anymore."

Astoria closed her eyes and proceed to fall swiftly asleep. Draco stoop there watching her. He was hoping she wouldn't catch the slight slip-up of words. Draco shook his head. She won't remember this in the morning. He assured himself. But he had had a really good night. Because, after so long of feeling numb, something had been sparked inside of him once more; desire.

That was the first time in which Astoria Greengrass would help to fix him in ways she wasn't even aware of and it wouldn't be the last. On that particular night all he had needed was a friend and she had appear magically in his doorway. Already, she had lit a spark inside his chest.

"Goodnight, Astoria," he whispered.


End file.
